Game apparatus



Oct. 15, 1929. R. c. TURNER 1,731,477

I GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v lnvenfor. Robert C}.Turner 1 ATTyS.

Oct. 15, 1929.; R. c. TURNER GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nven'fo'r. RoberT C.Turner Patented Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE ROBERT C. TURNER, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO STRIKE-EM-OUT BASE BALL INC, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS GAME APPARATUS Application filed September 21, 1927. Serial No. 221,039.

This invention relates to an amusement device and particularly to one based upon the well known game of baseball;

An object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus which requires a certain degree of skill and proficiency in throwing balls in order to play it properly and which at the same time simulates to a certain extent the game of baseball.

In securing these objects I provide a figure representing the catcher of a baseball team and another figure representing the batter 0f the baseball team. The hands of the catcher figure are fashioned to receive a ball and they form a target at which the player is to throw the ball. The catchers hands are preferably moving while the game is being played and thereby form a movable target. The batter figure carries the bat which is also movable across the path of the ball as it is thrown into the hands of the catcher, and said hands are constructed so that when a ballis pitched into them they will automatically close thereby retaining the ball. In playing the game the ball thrower or pitcher endeavors to throw the ball into the catchers hands without hitting the moving bat. If he is successful the batter may be considered as struck out but if theball hits the moving bat this will count as a hit.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel'features will be pointed out in'the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a view of a game apparatus embodying my invention; y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the bat;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View through one of the figures illustrating the means which may be employed for vibrating the bat or moving the hands of the catcher; I V

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the catchers hands;

Fig. 5 is a'section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on'the line 6-6, Fig. 5

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views illustrating the means for relocking the hands in open position; 7

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary View illustrating the connection between the bat and 'the batters arms.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 1 indicates the I figure of the catcher of a baseball team and 2 the figure of a batter. These figures are shown as mounted'upon the common base 3. The catcher figure is provided with arms 4 which terminate in hands 5 which hands form a target at which the player throws the balls. The arms at are pivotally connected to the body of the figure 1 and meansare provided for swinging them up and down so that while the device is in operation the hands will move up and down from dotted to full line position. I

The batter figure 2 carries a bat 6 which is situated in front of the catchers hands 5 and is mounted for movement across the path of a ball thrown into the hands 5. I have herein shown the bat as supported by the batters arms 7 which are pivoted to the body at 8 and are adapted to swing upand down about their pivot so that the bat will vibrate back and forth across the path of a ball which is thrown to the catcher as indicated by the full and dotted line position, Fig. 1. a

In playing the game the player who throws the ball and who takes the place of the pitcher on the ball team will endeavor to throw the ball into the catchers hands without having the ball strike the moving hat 6.

The arms 4: and 7 of the figures may be given their vertical swinging movement in any desirable way. As herein shown I have provided an arm-vibrating mechanism inside of each figure which is made hollow for this purpose. The arm or arms of each figure are made fast upon a rock shaft 8 which is journalled in suitable bearings 9 carried by the figure and each rock shaft 8 hasan arm 10 rigid therewith which is connected by a link 11 to a crank disk 12 carried by a shaft 13. The shaft 13 isrotated by any suitable mechanism such for instance as a motor 14k that is geared to the shaft 13 through a train of reducing gearing 15. The motor and gearing are shown as supported in a suitable stand or supporting bracket 16.

The vibrating arms will preferably be counterbalanced and for this purpose I have shown a counterbalancing spring 17 one end of which is secured to the arm 10 and the other end of which is anchored to the body of the figure.

lVith this construction both the catchers hands 5 and the batters bat 6 will be vibrating up and down and by properly timing the operation of the motors the arms of the batter may be made to vibrate at a different rate of speed than the arms of the catcher so that the hat 6 will be continually crossing the path of a ball thrown into the moving hands 5, which as stated above, constitute a moving target.

The hands 5 are normally open as shown in Figs. 1 and i but means are provided for closing the hands to retain the ball whenever the ball is thrown into them. The hands 5, which simulate the hands of a catcher, are pivoted to the arms at 18. These hands are acted on by a spring which normally tends to close them as shown by dotted lines Fig. 4: and they are normally locked in open relation shown in full lines with the spring under compression. When a baseball is thrown into the hands the lock is released and the spring then automatically operates to close the hands and retain the ball therein.

The spring which normally tends to close the hands is indicated at 19. This spring encircles and is carried by a sleeve 20 which is fixed in a cross-pieceor supporting member 21 that connects the ends of the arms 4. Slidably mounted within the fixed sleeve 20 is a rod 22 which carries at its end a head 23 against which the spring 19 acts, said spring being confined between the head 23 and the cross-piece 21; The rod 22 extends forwardlythrough the sleeve 20 and into a housing 2 1 that is provided at its end with a head 25, the end 26 of the rod finding a bearing in said head. The portion of the rod 22 within the housing 24 is flattened as shown at 27, this flattened portion being in the form of a plate from which projects two pairs of pins 28, 29.

Each hand 5 is formed with a lateral looking projection 30 which enters the open side of the housing 24 and is received between the pins of one pair, the lateral projection from one hand being received between the pins 28 of one pair and the projection 30 from the other hand being received between the pins 29 of the other pair. The spring 19 tends normally to move the rod 22 to the right as indicated by dotted line position Figs. 5 and 6 and such movement of the rod will move the pins 28, 29 to the right which by acting on the projections 30 swing, the hands inwardly.

The hands are locked in open position against the action of the spring 19 by means of a locking lug 31 which is carried by one face of the housing 24L and is adapted to be received between the lateral projections 30 asshown in Fig. 4c.

So long as the locking lug 31 is in the position shown in Fig. 4 the hands will be locked open but it the locking projection 31 is moved; to the right into the position shown in Fig. 6 thereby to withdraw it from between the ends of the projections 30 then the hands are free to swing inwardly as shown by dotted lines Fig. 6. As soon as the hands are thus unlocked the spring 19 will act to move the rod 22 to the right into the dotted line position Fig. 6 and the consequent movement of the pins 28, 29 from the full to the dotted line position Fig. 6 will close the hands together.

Means are provided whereby when a ball is thrown into the hands they will be automatically released. The housing-24E which carries the locking lug 31 is slidably mounted on the stationary sleeve 20 and is normally held in its operative position shown in Fig. 4 through the medium of a spring 32 that is interposed between the cross-piece 21 and the housing. VVhene'ver a ball is thrown into the catchers hand and strikes the head 25 the impact of the ball against the head will drive the housing 24 rearwardly slightly against the action of the spring 32, such movement of the housing carrying the locking lug 31 from the position shown in Fig 4 to that shown in Fig. 6, in which latter position it has been withdrawn from between the projections 30. The hands are then unlocked and as soon as this occurs the spring 19 will immediately move the rod 22 to the right as shown by dotted lines Fig. 6 and in so doing will swing the hands 5 into closed relation.

The hands are preferably so shaped that when they are closed they will retain the ball therein.

A suitable signal may be employed for indicating when the ball has been pitched into the catchers hands. While any signal de vice may be employed I will preferably use one in the nature of an electric signal.

The cross-piece 21 is shown as having a contact member 33slidably mounted therein but insulated therefrom. This contact member is yieldingly held in the position shown in Fig. 6 by means of a spring 34 The housing 2% is also provided with a contact element 35 whichis normally separated from the contact 33 when the hands are locked in open relation. When thehead 25 has been hit by a pitched ball and the housing 24 has been moved to the right to unlock the hands the contact 35 will be brought against the contact 33 thus closing the signal circuit 52. The closing of the circuit will operate the'signal which will indicate that the ball has been caught. This signal may be either an audible or a visible signal.

I have also provided herein means for automatically restoring the hands to open relation after they have been closed by a ball being pitched into them. For this purpose the catcher figure 1 is provided with a restoring latch 36 which is pivoted to the body at 37 and is acted on by a spring 38 which normally holds it in raised position shown in Fig. 5. The latch is jointed at 39, the joint being in the form of a knuckel joint which will permit the outer section 40 of the latch to swing upwardly relative to the inner section 41 but will compel the two sections to swing downwardly as a unit.

The latch is so designed that when it is in its raised position shown in Fig. 5 and the hands are locked in their open position, the extremity 42 of the head 23 will move in a curved path just outside of the latch as shown by the dotted line 43. When, however, the hands have been unlocked and have been moved into closed relation by the moving of the rod 22 and head 23 from the full to the dotted line position Fig. 5, then as the arms 4 move up and down the path of movement of the point 42 of the head will be as indicated by the dotted line 44. Hence when the arms swing upwardly the pointed end 42 will engage the latch section 40 and the latter will swing upwardly about its pivot 39 to allow said end 42 to pass. Upon the downward movement the pointed end 42 will engage in Q the concave end 45 of the latch member 36 and the latch member will be swung downwardly about its pivot 37 as the arms swing. During this downward movement the two sections of the latch member constitute a rigid unit and as a result the downward swinging movement of the latch caused by the downward swinging movementof the arms will cause the head 23 and rod 22 to be moved to the left as shown by the curved line 53, this movement 1 being sufficient to swing the hands into open position. As soon as the hands are opened or moved into the position shown in; full lines Fig. 6 then the spring 32 will act to move the housing 24 forwardly, thus carrying the look ing lug 31 into locking position between the ends of the projections 30 as shown in Fig. 4. This restoring of the lock occurs as the arms 4 reach the position shown in Fig. 5 in which the rod 22 is in line with the latch pivot 37.

As the arms swing below this center position the head 23 will be carried out of engagement with the latch and the latter will automatically assume the position shown in Fig. 5.

I will preferably yieldingly connect the bat 6 to the arm 7 so that when the bat is struck it will yield and thus avoid danger of breakage. As herein shown the arm 7 is hollow at its end and is provided at its extremity with a cup-shaped socket 46 in which the inner end 47 of the bat rests.

latter.

The bat is held in its normal position by a spring 48 which is connected at one end to the arm '7 at 49 and at the other end is connected to the hookedend of a rod 50 that extends axially through the hat. The inner end 51 of thebatis tubular and normally the spring tends to hold the bat in alignment with the arm but if the bat is struck by a ball the end 47 thereof will fulcrum in the socket 46 and the bat is allowed to swing laterally somewhat depending upon the force of the blow. As soon as the blow has been expended the spring 48 will restore'the bat to its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. In an amusement device, the combination with a moving target at which balls may be pitched, said target being normally open to receive a ball but adapted to close upon the ball, of an obstruction moving in front of the target across the path of a ball thrown at the target and target-closing means rendered operative-by a ball hitting the-target.

2. In an amusement device, the combination with'a vibrating bat, of a normally open ball-receiving member situated behind the bat and at'which balls are to be thrown, means to vibrate both the ball-receiving member and the'bat in such manner that the bat vibrates. across the path of a ball thrown into the ballreceiving member and means to close the ballreceiving member Whena ball enters it.

3. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of two human beings, one havingnormally-open hands to receive a pitched ball, of a bat carried by the other figure and situated in front of the hands, v means to give the bat a vibrating movement and means renderedoperative by a ball pitched into said hands to close the 4. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of two human beings, one having normally-open hands to receive a pitched'ball, of a bat yielding supported by the other figure and situated in front of the hands, means to give both the bat and the hands. a vibrating movement, and means rendered operative by a ball entering the open hands to close them.

5. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of a human being having two hands normally in position to receive a pitched ball, of means rendered operative by a ball entering the open hands to close the latter and thereby retain the ball.

6. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of a human being having two hands normally in position to receive a pitched ball, of a spring tending to move the hands into ball-retaining position, means to lock the hands in open position against the action of the spring, and means to release the lock by the impact of a ball pitched into the hands.

7. In an amusement device, the combinatlon with the representation of a human being havingtwo hands normally in position to receive a itched ball means for ivin the hands a vibrating motlon, a sprlng tending to move the hands into ball-receiving position, means to lock the hands in open position against the action of the spring, and means to release the lock by the impact of a ball pitched into the hands.

8. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of a human being having two hands normally in position to receive a pitched ball, means for giving the hands a vibrating motion, a spring tending to move the hands into ball-receiving position, means to lock the hands in open position against the action of the spring, means to release the lock by the impact of a ball pitched into the hands, and means to restore the hands to open position by the vibrating movement thereof.

9. In an amusement device, the combination with the representation of two human figures, one having twohands normally in position to receive a pitched ball, of a bat carried by the other figure and situated in front of the hands, means to vibrate both the hands and the bat, and means rendered operative by a ball entering the open hands to close the latter and thereby retain the ball.

10. In an amusement device, the combination with a normally-open ball-receiving tion with a normally-open ball-receiving member at which balls may be pitched, of an obstruction situated in front of said member, means to vibrate both the ball-receiving member and the obstruction, means to close the ball-receiving member when a ball enters it, and means operated by the movement of the ball-receiving member to open the latter after it has been closed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ROBERT C. TURNER. 

